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Swinging in the rain

Rain and cold greet golfers at Maverick Invite

Colorado Mesa’s Zoe Woodworth chips onto the ninth green in heavy rain at Tiara Rado Golf Course on Monday, the first day of the Maverick Spring Invitational golf tournament.

By {screen_name}
Tuesday, April 16, 2013

They sloshed along the course.

At first, it wasn’t too bad, but by the end of Monday’s first round of the Maverick Spring Invitational, the Colorado Mesa women’s golf team was drenched on the cold, rainy day.

“It was interesting,” sophomore Rachel Cavalier said. “There were some really great shots I had, but other shots wouldn’t work out. I ended up chucking a few (divots) because it was so wet. My putting was all over the place.”

“I chucked a few at the end, that’s for sure,” senior Michelle Stripp said. “When the course was soaking up the water, it wasn’t as bad. When it was coming down hard, everybody in my group (did).”

Colorado Mesa is tied for fourth with Montana State-Billings at 350. CSU-Pueblo is in first with 340. Adams State is four strokes back at 344 and Regis is third (346).

“I think, on days like this, it basically goes to your hands,” CMU coach Scott Hansen said. “Those that keep their hands dry and warm and keep some feel on the club probably fared better. Those that got cold and wet early, you get that numbing sensation and you’re pretty much done after that.

“In this type of weather, those that have the right equipment to keep their hands warm and then, after that, those who can mentally realize it is what it is play their game. You see some of the better players don’t change that much.”

Nicole Hulbert of Regis leads the field with a 4-over-par 75. She has a seven-stroke lead over Adams State’s Rachel Dyess. Stripp is tied for third at 84.

Stripp had 12 pars, but her score was dragged down by three bad holes.

“Michelle played well,” Hansen said. “She was 7-over on a three-hole stretch. She played 13, 14 holes of (good) golf and three or four holes sabotaged it.”

She wore two cold-weather gloves but still struggled to keep her hands warm.

“Zoe’s short game is her bread and butter,” Hansen said. “She doesn’t hit enough greens to make a lot of birdies. I could see she wasn’t chipping and putting like she normally does.”

The invitational concludes with the second round at 9 a.m. today.

Men’s Golf

The Colorado Mesa men’s golf team is in sixth place after the first round of the Wolfpack Invitational at Walking Stick Golf Course in Pueblo.

The Mavericks’ 312 strokes are 15 behind first-place Colorado School of Mines (297).

Freshman Adam Griffith leads the Mavericks with a 1-over-par 73. He is tied for third place, two strokes behind the University of Colorado-Colorado Springs’ Kevin Witte (71). Michael Lee of Colorado Mines is second with 72.

Sean Robbins is tied for 26th with 78 and Brandon Bingaman is tied for 33rd with 79.

The tournament was postponed midway through the second round because of high winds and poor visibility. Play will resume today with the completion of the second and third rounds, weather permitting.